In Nairobi Kenya the Westgate Mall collapsed on terrorists who laid siege to the mall for four days. The attackers trapped people inside, but five gunmen working for the terrorist plotters were killed. Eleven others were arrested over possible connections with the terrorist group who captured the mall in a siege that left almost 70 people dead. Among the dead were 6 security officers. More than 60 people remain in the hospital recovering currently, and close to if not more than 200 people have been injured by the four day ordeal. This update reflects more information gathered since JD Journal last published an article on the attack found here.
At this time the condition of people who were hiding in the mall or held hostage by terrorists is unclear. Authorities in Kenya comment that they “believed all hostages have been freed,” but according to CNN, the Red Cross feels that almost an additional 70 people remain unaccounted for.
On Saturday it all started when 10 to 15 gunmen starting shooting up the whole mall. Witnesses commented that the shooters went from store to store shooting people and taking hostages. A woman gave her account of the horror she faced. She was told to memorize an Islamic prayer that would save her life. Her family had sent it to her in case situations like this were to develop. She prayed that she would be spared and kept her focus on being rescued.
Shockingly one four year old boy was spared, as he confronted the terrorists and told them that they were “very bad men.” Among those who were killed was Dutch national Elif Yavuz, a senior vaccine researcher. She was pregnant expecting her first child. She worked for a health Initiative based in Tanzania. Yavuz’s husband, Australian British architect Ross Langdon also was killed. Mr. Langdon moved to Nairobi to build sustainable architecture for Africa, volunteering to build hospitals and clinics free of charge.
Others slain in the killing include Dr. Kofi Awoonor of StonyBrook University. He was a statesman of Ghana and a renowned African Poet and Author. Dr. Juan Jesus Ortiz was doing medical work for the U.N.’s Children’s Fund and lived in Kenya.
The tragedy is that in light of progress, some problems halt an entire nation’s development with these acts of terrorism.
Officials in Kenya believe that Somali terrorists alone could not have pulled off this level of attack. They believe that this is the work of Al-Qaeda. Al Qaeda blew up a U.S. Embassy in 1998 in Kenya, where 213 people died in that terrorist attack. Foreign Minister Amina Mohamed commented, “The leaders [of the attack] were not Somali. This was Al Qaeda. It was a very well-coordinated effort.”